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Fisherman’s Rib Baby Blanket

Meet the Fisherman’s Rib Baby Blanket, a great option for a small, decorative throw or baby blanket. This pattern uses an addictive stitch with lots of and dimensionality that will give your blanket endless texture. You’ll notice in the pattern that I recommend using a German Twisted Cast On and an Icelandic Bind Off. The fisherman’s rib stitch is used throughout the body of this blanket, giving it lots of 3D texture and stretch, so you’re going to want to begin and end your project with a cast on and bind off known for being both stretchy and sturdy to give your blanket the structural foundation it needs to lay just right. In addition to the allover stitch pattern, this blanket is embellished with four-color pom poms, which is an easy way to bring an extra contemporary touch to the finished piece! (And if you’re making one of these blankets for a baby shower gift, it’s also a great opportunity to tie in your friend’s nursery colors without having to do tons of colorwork!)

Abbreviations & TermsCO – cast on
sts – stitchesGerman Twisted or Old Norwegian Cast On – A stretchy knitting cast on that is worked with a long tail. Here’s a tutorial.
sl – slip
wyif – with yarn in front
p – purl
k – knit
k1b – knit 1 in the row below
rep – repeat
BO – bind offIcelandic Bind Off – A stretchy knitting bind off that pairs well with a German Twisted Cast On. Here’s a tutorial.
Fisherman’s rib – A knitting stitch that creates a one over one (k1, p1) style rib, but by knitting one stitch in the row below instead of working a regular knit one, a three-dimensionality is created. This trait makes the fisherman’s rib stitch mimic that of a brioche rib stitch while being much easier to knit. Here’s a tutorial.

Pattern

row 1. sl1 wyif, p to last st, k1.row 2. sl1 wyif, *p1, k1b; rep from * to last 2 sts, end p1, k1.
Rep row 2 until blanket measures 36″ in length. BO all sts using the Icelandic Bind Off. Weave in all ends and wet block to size.

Embellish (optional)
Make 4 pom poms using remaining yarn, and if you’d like to make colorful pom poms like those pictured, include 3 additional colors of yarn as you wrap your pom pom maker. Attach one pom pom to each corner of the blanket with a secure knot and weave in all ends.

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a knitting, crochet and crafts designer. She first learned to knit at age 8 from a grandmother who saw in her a need for something to keep her busy. She's now a full time designer, video host, blogger & teacher. You can keep up with her designs and more by following handsoccupied on your favorite social network.

I love this pattern, but the intended recipient lives in Florida, so I’m reluctant to use wool..
Can you suggest another yarn that would work with this, possibly in cotton or a cotton blend?
Thanks very much!
(P.S, I love the pompoms!)

Sure thing! My in-laws live in the South, so I get it for sure! :) You could do a Sugar ‘n Cream – it’s 100% cotton, but the stitch is so inherently stretchy that you can get away with it. If you’re thinking more of a blend, I’d go with another LB collection yarn, their Cotton Bamboo. The Le Pom Blanket design I’ve also done used that yarn, and you can see how it looks here.

Hi Heidi,
Thanks for these recommendations, and for your quick reply.
One more question: the Ravelry page indicates that the pattern is free. When I click on the tab,
though, the one that says it will give me a PDF without ads. I get an error message that says the
item is no longer available at that site. Can you help? Can I download the pattern through Ravelry?
Thanks very much.
Carol

Happy to help! I tested all of the links in the post & on Ravelry, and I didn’t run into any error messages. Can you help clarify what you mean by, “When I click on the tab, though, the one that says it will give me a PDF without ads. I get an error message that says the item is no longer available at that site.”? What tab are you referring to?

I’m just learning the Fisherman’s Rib. In a different guide it says to cast on an even number of stitches.
You suggest an odd number of stitches (105) which I imagine has to do with slipping the first stitch.
Can any odd number work or does it need to be a certain multiple plus one?

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Hi! I’m Heidi Gustad, and I’m a yarn crafts designer and blogger, partial to primary colors, vintage style and most needlecrafts. Along with two designer friends, I co-host The Very Serious Crafts Podcast. My first book is set to be released in the fall of 2020.